Dandy makes it to top ten for the first time at the Dakar
11.1.2015
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Our crew mechanic Daniel Kozlovský on Artur Ardavichus’s crew made it to the elite top ten for the first time since this year’s Dakar started. In contrast, Dakar‘s sixth stage brought bad luck to our Dutch pilot Martin van den Brink. His truck’s turbo broke seventy kilometres before the finish line, which resulted in a three-hour-loss and drop from his current position in elite ten. However, a number of crews had to cope with technical problems, and that included Tomáš Vrátný, who wrenched the steering wheel of his truck.
„This stage really did us good. Artur lives and trains in Dubai, he loves dunes and can go about them really well. And he only proved it here. I think we pass about twenty crews. Personally, this really recharged my batteries. We’re all very exhausted but each impulse and success like this pours new energy into your veins. It was just incredible,“ commented Dandy, who achieved the best result of this year so far. Also, the international crew made it to the elite ten so far. Arriving on ninth rank they lost half an hour on the winning Russian Nikolaev.
All in all, Russians on Kamaz trucks are really in a race of their own. They overruled the stage six as well, with Nikolaev before Mardeev and Karginov. This reflects also in the overall ranking.
The sixth stage was formed by 625 kilometres of track from Antofagasta to Iquique. The timed stage had 255 kilometres of ragged land, where a kilometre-high dune was no exception. “It was during one of the climb onto a dune that the turbo just went off. It was really bad luck, but it proved once again that having a pal on the track is essential. Practical righ at that moment there came Pascal (de Baar) and helped us immediately. It was a great test of our-cooperation. Yes, we lost three hours but the important thing is that we’re still in the game and can go for the main goal of this year’s rally. We need to remember that what we wanted was to make it to the finish and any success on top of that would just be a bonus,“ smiled the friendly Dutch van den Brink.
Eventually, the Mammoet Rallysport team’s pilot finished on thirty-third place, eight positions behind him came his colleague de Baar. In the overall ranking they both dropped to 18th and 25th place, respectively.
A complication befell also Tomáš Vrátný. “I was passing through a large hole and scratched my wheel against the wall. It literally plucked the steering wheel from my hands and when I got hold of it again, I simply wrenched it from the steering rod, told us Vrátný, who was rewarded for his help to Martin Kolomý earlier in the race. “A few blows into the wheel with a large hammer was enough to make it work again, so we could finish the sixth stage,“ laughed the Bonver Dakar Project team at the Russian style of repairs.
Dakar showed its merciless face to other Czech crews, too. The world’s toughest race ended for the youngest Czech pilot Martin Macík. Technical problems didn’t avoid Loprais either.
Dakar has been very exhausting so far but the hardest moments are ahead of us. Day number seven is reserved for the start of the marathon stage, when the crews will need to make do without any technical support for two days. They will all be on their own, the only allowed help is from the opponents. All technology remains in Iquique until Tuesday. “Most of the guys haven’t slept a few days already. It was harsh. You work at night, try to make use of every free minute to get some sleep during passages. I believe that we’ll all get some rest and nothing happens to the crews,“ hopes our team’s chief constructor Mario Kress.
Results - Trucks – Stage 6: 1. Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz 2:54:28, 2. Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +5:37, 3. Karginov (RUS) Kamaz +10:40, 4. De Rooy (NED) Iveco +11:31, 5. Sotnikov (RUS) Kamaz +12:44, 7. Kolomý (CZE) Tatra +27:12, 9. Ardavichus/Kozlovský (KAZ/CZE) Tatra +32:23, 13. Vrátný (CZE) Tatra +50:24, 16. Szustkowski (POL) Tatra +1:02:07, 18. Loprais (CZE) MAN +1:05:44, 33. van den Brink (NED) Renault Trucks 3:01:58, 41. de Baar (NED) Renault Trucks +3:43:07.
Overall ranking: 1. Nikolaev (RUS) Kamaz 18:10:46, 2. Mardeev (RUS) Kamaz +13:38, 3. Karginov (RUS) Kamaz +38:16, 4. Sotnikov (RUS) Kamaz +45:57, 5. Viazovich (BLR) MAZ +1:16:44, 6. Loprais (CZE) MAN +1:33:12, 9. Kolomý (CZE) Tatra +2:25:21, 11. Vrátný (CZE) Tatra +2:57:35, 14. Ardavichus/Kozlovský (KAZ/CZE) Tatra +3:55:11, 18. van den Brink (NED) Renault Trucks +4:52:17, 21. Szustkowski (POL) Tatra +6:22:21, 25. de Baar (NED) Renault Trucks +8:08:50.
